Analects 6.22 · Yong Ye
“Devote yourself to what is right for the people, and respect the spirits while keeping them at a distance: that may be called wisdom.”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
務民之義 敬鬼神而遠之 可謂知矣 (wù mín zhī yì, jìng guǐ shén ér yuǎn zhī, kě wèi zhì yǐ) means “Devote yourself to what is right for the people, and respect the spirits while keeping them at a distance: that may be called wisdom.” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 22.
務民之義 敬鬼神而遠之 可謂知矣
- Pinyin
- wù mín zhī yì, jìng guǐ shén ér yuǎn zhī, kě wèi zhì yǐ
- Translation
- Devote yourself to what is right for the people, and respect the spirits while keeping them at a distance: that may be called wisdom.
- Source
- Analects, Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 22
What does this passage mean?
In the twenty-second chapter of Yong Ye, Fan Chi asks about wisdom and receives this answer: devote yourself to what is right for the people, and respect the spirits while keeping them at a distance. At the time, the custom of relying on divination and sacrifice to decide matters was strong. Confucius neither denied the spirits nor clung to them. ‘Respect but keep at a distance’ was a declaration of humanism: human affairs must be resolved by human effort. In the latter half of the passage, Confucius answers a question about humaneness as well, saying that the humane person puts the difficult work first and the reward after.
How can we apply it today?
Today’s spirits are horoscopes, fortune-telling, stock market prophecies, and baseless health advice. The more anxious we are, the more we want to lean on something that offers a certain answer. Confucius prescribes balance: neither ignoring what cannot be known nor surrendering one’s life to it. Solving one more problem instead of buying a charm before an exam, meeting one more customer instead of asking about the fortunes of one’s business: this is devoting oneself to human duty. Humility toward what we cannot control and full effort on what we can is exactly what wisdom means.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What do you lean on when you are anxious?
- ·Have you ever left to luck something you could have done yourself?
- ·Do you distinguish between what you can control and what you cannot?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 務 | wù | strive; devote oneself to | 11 | 力 (power) |
| 民 | mín | the people | 5 | 氏 (clan) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 義 | yì | right | 13 | 羊 (sheep) |
| 敬 | jìng | respect | 13 | 攴 (tap) |
| 鬼 | guǐ | spirit | 10 | 鬼 (ghost) |
| 神 | shén | spirit | 10 | 示 (spirit) |
| 而 | ér | and; but | 6 | 而 (and) |
| 遠 | yuǎn | keep at a distance | 13 | 辵 (walk) |
| 之 | zhī | go; possessive particle | 4 | 丿 (slash) |
| 可 | kě | right | 5 | 口 (mouth) |
| 謂 | wèi | say; call | 16 | 言 (speech) |
| 知 | zhì | wise | 8 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “Devote yourself to what is right for the…” mean?
務民之義 敬鬼神而遠之 可謂知矣 (wù mín zhī yì, jìng guǐ shén ér yuǎn zhī, kě wèi zhì yǐ) means “Devote yourself to what is right for the people, and respect the spirits while keeping them at a distance: that may be called wisdom.” It comes from the Analects, Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 22.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 6.22: Book 6 (Yong Ye), Chapter 22.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
Today’s spirits are horoscopes, fortune-telling, stock market prophecies, and baseless health advice.The more anxious we are, the more we want to lean on something that offers a certain answer.